Iran on Sunday hit back at US President Donald Trump over the latter’s after he said he could have taken out the country’s senior leadership “all in one shot” while they were gathered for the funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that America “neither has civilisation, nor history”.
Senior Iranian leaders, along with Khamenei’s three sons, with the exception of current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, appeared in public on Sunday to take part in the funeral prayers. Follow live updates related to Khamenei’s funeral here.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led the Islamic Republic from 1989 until he was killed at the age of 86 in an airstrike on the opening day of the US-Israeli strikes in Iran and the war in West Asia on February 28.
Trump’s remarks spark reaction from Iran
The US president referred to the large funeral gathering in Tehran and suggested the gathering presented a military opportunity. However, he said such a move was ruled out because diplomatic efforts were continuing.
“They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with,” he told US media outlet Axios.
Trump also said he was surprised to see so many people mourning Khamenei, as he believed many Iranians were against him. “Maybe it’s fake tears,” the outlet quoted him as saying.
Iran hits back with ‘no civilisation, no history’ remark
Reacting sharply, the Iranian embassy in Armenia slammed both Trump and the US in a post on X.
It said that the US, which celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence on July 4, could never understand the massive mourning over Khamenei’s death because it “neither has civilisation, history, nor honour.”
“People can be killed, but ideals cannot. You killed Ayatollah Khamenei, but in reality, you broke a perfume bottle whose scent spread everyplace. You don’t understand these things because you have neither civilisation, nor history, nor honor.” the embassy said, pointing to the huge crowds that gathered for the late leader’s funeral.
Khamenei’s funeral processions
The funeral ceremonies for Khamenei began on Saturday and are set to continue over several days. Authorities closed roads, restricted airspace and brought much of daily life in Tehran to a halt as people gathered to pay their respects to the slain supreme leader.
Sunday was declared a public holiday across Iran. Later in the day, Khamenei’s body will be taken from the Grand Mosalla complex, where it is lying in state, ahead of funeral processions through the capital on Monday.
Khamenei’s coffin, covered with the Iranian flag and his black turban placed on top, was displayed alongside the coffins of four relatives who were also killed in the February strikes, including his infant granddaughter.
Iranian authorities said they expect more than 10 million people to join the funeral events in Tehran.
After the ceremonies in the capital, Khamenei’s body will be taken to cities across Iran as well as neighbouring Iraq.
With inputs from agencies
